


Pit Stop

by birdbrunch



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Confrontations, Phase Six (Gorillaz), idk if ill continue dis lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdbrunch/pseuds/birdbrunch
Summary: The aftermath of Aries and a possible explanation for Friday 13th. A road-side confrontation ensues. Truth serum, a fight, and a dynamic altering revelation splits the group apart even further, and everything is out in the open now. The message reads loud and clear: they can't go on like this.
Relationships: Russel Hobbs & Murdoc Niccals & Noodle & Stuart "2D" Pot
Comments: 6
Kudos: 67





	Pit Stop

Almost hungrily, Russel’s fist collided against Murdoc's face with a deafening crack. All Murdoc could think about was that sweet splitting pain that screamed in his head and on his very obviously broken nose. He’s lost count how many times it's been damaged. So while he sat in the dirt and thought about this, he hardly even noticed the shouting start until he was violently shook, like he was a cheap vending machine that held onto your snack you desperately wanted.

“Are you fucking listening? Jesus, Murdoc. We leave you alone for one goddamn second, and… and you just-” Russel trailed off, letting his frustration interrupt him. Possibly not even his frustrations towards Murdoc; but at himself for letting him run off like this. How many times had Russel said this exact thing? Lectured him this exact way? Murdoc wasn’t the only one losing count.

2D was being propped up against the now horizontal motorcycle by Noodle, who looked just as upset as him. 2D’s jacket was unzipped and slipping off as a symptom of their earlier tumble from the vehicle, along with some cuts and scrapes from the accident. In his dishevelment, 2D's lower abdomen was also exposed, and with it the damning evidence of a syringe. The dot where it pierced skin was red and accusing. Murdoc opened his mouth to call out to 2D, but Russel shook him again. “Explain yourself. Now.” His bassy voice made Murdocs head throb, and he chuckled at the feeling.

“None of your beeswax. You wouldn’t understand anyway. You lot are helicopters when it comes to Dents, y’know?” He searched Russel for signs of further agitation, and continued when he found nothing but annoyed bewilderment, “‘s not like I was gonna shank him. Just a spot of truth serum.” Russel’s eyes narrowed, clearly still unsure of the bassist's intentions. His expression softened once he turned to 2D, who was now being bandaged by Noodle. “D, are you feeling alright?”

“No. In fact, I feel like vomiting,” he replied flatly. Noodle backed away from treating his scrapes warily.

Russel grit his teeth and turned back to Murdoc. “Y’see? See what you did? Christ, where’d you even get that shit? Is it some kinda roofie?” When Murdoc realized he didn’t believe him, his own patience began to waver. “Right, asshole. Watch this,” Murdoc wriggled from Russel’s firm grasp enough to face 2D.

“2D, what do you think of Russel’s cooking?”

“Awful. Could hardly call it cooking. A goopy, spicy mess, really.” Once he realized what he said, 2D went bright red. Murdoc expected to see Russel hurt and flustered, and began to laugh at the image of it.

Until another fist slammed the image away.

Murdoc groaned, but fought back, legs flailing like a car lot inflatable beneath Russel towering over him. He didn’t even seem to care about the comment on his culinary skills. All Russel cared about was  _ why _ . There never seemed to be a reason anymore. Ruthless beatings, spiteful insults, and now drugging? 2D could never see the end of Murdoc’s torture. Even something so innocent as an honest conversation needed to be betrayed by something sinister and threatening. So it was there, with a hearty punch, that Russel decided it didn’t matter “why”. This wasn’t something that could be thought out rationally, because Murdoc lacked any semblance of that. All this man thrashing below him knew was pain and fear. So when Russel failed time and time again to threaten him, the drummer would settle for beating him senseless. If not for 2D, then for himself.

Noodle yelped in surprise at Russel’s sudden outburst. Even 2D jumped. “Sh-...Should we um, should we stop them?” the blue haired singer asked semi-rhetorically, unable to look away at the skirmish. Noodle’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the ordeal. For some reason, she couldn’t move. 2D was drugged with some fantasy chemistry Murdoc cooked up, Russel was absolutely whaling on Murdoc, while Murdoc himself was scratching, biting, kicking, and yelling like a fussy toddler.

She indulged for a moment in the utter absurdity of the situation.

“Noodle?”

She doesn’t know when she stood up and stomped over to the fight, but 2D’s shaky voice only encouraged her stride. Noodle grabbed at Russel’s tank top, tugging the fabric roughly.

“Russel! Russel, listen to me!” She pleaded to her bandmate, but even if Russel had heard her, he wouldn’t have stopped. This beating was therapeutic at that point, and not even Murdoc’s nails digging into his bleeding skin could shake him from this session, let alone Noodle’s interference. To some asinine extent, Noodle understood this feeling. It would be deceitful of her to not confess that drop kicking Murdoc into orbit wasn’t something she dreamed about. But this wasn’t a dream; and Murdoc wasn’t looking too hot. The image scared her.

Noodle pulled harder, ignoring the compromising size difference between her and Russel. She screamed and tugged and she didn’t know why, but she started to cry. Maybe she was tired. Maybe Noodle felt guilty for not trusting her gut, and letting 2D go off with Murdoc in the first place. But she knew it couldn’t be her fault. It never was. It was always him. Murdoc, at the center of it all. Why does she think a man 20 years older than her was somehow her responsibility? Someone who she once looked up to as a father was now squirming like a sick animal under the weight of his stupid decisions, and his alone. Why did his sense of accountability somehow shift onto her? Empathy was something Noodle always prided herself on, but she hated how fast she was to defend him, as if he would ever do the same for her. As if he didn’t already let her down so many times before, to the point where even her life was something Murdoc seemed to trivialize.

And yet, she pulled with every muscle in her body.

“Fucking stop! Russel, please, you’re gonna kill him!” She screeched, her voice cracked and raspy. 2D flinched at the unfamiliar panic in the young woman’s tone. Russel must have noticed too, but his head was still in an aggressive daze, as well as his body. His spatial awareness failed him, and it was too late to turn away. His elbow jabbed Noodle square in the eye.

She fell back with a heavy thud and everything flashed white. Somehow, through all the screaming and fighting, that collision with the dirt was the smoking gun that shot the conflict momentarily dead, point blank.

Russel immediately dropped a bloody, shaking Murdoc to apologize. Noodle sat up quickly, and brought a trembling finger to her eye. Already, Noodle could feel the bruising. She sucked air through her teeth upon even her gentle touch. It ached, and she looked up at the drummer awkwardly. She was too shocked to get up, and her right eye hurt like hell, but she was admittedly grateful Russel ceased his crusade to seemingly kill the bassist to make sure she was alright. 

“Noodle, I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

BAM.

Noodle’s stomach sank. Murdoc had gotten up. He was a flash of green fury, ironically hitting Russel in the same eye he got Noodle in. If it was any other situation, Noodle would have laughed at Murdoc’s sense of poetic justice. But there was no humor in the attack. Russel staggered back, almost losing his footing. When his balance was restored, he looked up, and took a moment to take in the man before him. Neither Russel nor Noodle had ever seen Murdoc so angry. Tears welled in his eyes, but he stayed silent, save for gasping breaths as a result of being pummeled by Russel’s merciless fists. Russel relaxed his shoulders and let out a long, exasperated sigh at the sight of him. “Murdoc, hold on,” Russel warned as he advanced cautiously towards him.

“Stay back! Don’t touch me!” He snapped. His voice was…  _ crunchy. _ ‘Raspy’ didn’t do it justice. Noodle winced at how broken he sounded, not even remembering when Russel’s hands clamped around Murdocs throat hard enough to damage his voice. She guiltily sunk back, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, biting her lip and whimpering at the feeling of pressure against the bruised one. Russel and Murdoc turned their focus to the guitarist. Russel went to kneel down beside her. “Noodle,” he looked at her apologetically, “I’m sorry. It got out of hand, I went too far.” Noodle nodded slowly and allowed him to help her up. There was no doubt in her mind that Russel would never, ever hurt her. She was more surprised at Murdoc’s sudden outburst than at any accidental assault done unto her by Russel. So they both looked at Murdoc. 

“Well?” Russel croaked. 

“Well  _ what _ ?!” 

“Are you gonna apologize?” 

Murdoc lost his rigid posture, and let out a painful wheezy attempt at a laugh. “Apologize for what? For getting my ass kicked? For defending Noodle?” “ _ Watch it, _ ” Russel warned. Murdoc ignored him. “All you had to do was stay out of it. 2D is a big boy, he can handle himself,” as he spoke, he slowly trekked toward the pair. “I never intended to bloody hurt him. You didn’t  _ need  _ to follow us!” 

_ “ _ Of course we fucking did!” Noodle screeched. 

Murdoc jumped at this, but recovered quickly. “If you were so suspicious, why not keep him under lock and key, since you think you’re his damn warden!” “This isn’t about that, Murdoc. This is about you constantly betraying our trust,” Russel interjected. Murdoc threw his hands up, groaning. “Ohh, here comes the lecture! Heads up, Russ, next time you want me to listen to one of your speeches, maybe try not to turn my brain to jam!” He spat. “None of you can take responsibility. I’m not the only one hurting him! In fact, I’m the only one trying to help him! Because you’re right. He  _ can’t  _ take care of himself!” Noodle and Russel could only glare as their bandmate continued his rant, unable to interject in their defense. “You’re both so far up my ass, you can’t see what’s really wrong here. If you haven’t fucking noticed, 2D is-” before Murdoc could finish his rant, 2D slammed into him, shoving both of them to the ground. 

The scuffle lasted mere moments, but they squeezed out every bit of violence they could. When Russel and Noodle managed to peel them apart, Murdoc had a bloody bite mark on his neck, and 2D’s lip was split something nasty. But that didn’t stop him from speaking. 

“You think I’m so helpless?! You really think  _ you  _ know what’s best for me?” 2D growled, taking a tone none of them have heard since Plastic Beach. He tore his gaze from Murdoc to Russel, and then craned his neck to steal a look at Noodle, as if calling for the attention he already had. “You all do! All of you think I’m some infant. I’m sick of it!” 2D couldn’t hold his voice together anymore, and it wavered and cracked like an adolescent boy, almost comically destroying his argument. Still, he pressed on. “But Murdoc, you do the exact same thing!” “I haven’t got a scooby of what you’re on about, mate,” Murdoc exclaimed, tipping his head up assertively. “You want to have a conversation with me so bad, but you can’t! You’re so scared to communicate, so eager for honesty that you don’t even reciprocate, you had to drug me!” Accusations flung from his mouth and slammed into an increasingly irritated Murdoc, who squirmed against Russel’s grip. 

“Alright smart one, since you have all the answers, let me ask you a question; why aren’t you taking me on these little gallivants?” Not only did images of the lake flash in 2D’s brain like film on a reel, but every other good time spent without Murdoc. Before 2D even noticed, he was speaking. “Because nobody wants to be around such a horrible person. You make us all  _ sick. _ ” Noodle and Russel met eyes, equally surprised at the venom in his words. Speaking like that to Murdoc was easy for either of them, but unless 2D wanted to earn himself a shiner, he never even dared. The truth serum was in full effect, and despite the obvious tremble in Murdoc’s lip, he didn’t show any signs of stopping it. In fact, what happened next was almost rehearsed, like they were reading lines from a play. Noodle half expected to look up and see a script and a stage. If only it was that simple. 

“And I suppose you’re speaking for everyone?”

“Of course I am. You never had any respect for Russel, and you almost  _ killed  _ Noodle. You’re a monster.”

Murdoc clenched his teeth, but kept his momentum. Despite this, Russel found himself letting Murdoc slip from his grasp. Something about the way Murdoc shook in his arms, the way he ceased the struggle and accepted the situation, made Russel feel a short pang of something like pity.

“I never meant to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt anyone-”

“But you  _ did! _ And you  _ do!  _ You’re a sad, disturbed old man who took everything out on the people closest to him; and you can’t stand the fact that there are consequences for that! Those too few months you were in jail were the most productive we’ve ever been, and the healthiest! And you can’t stand it. You can’t accept the fact that we don’t need you!”

“ _ Are you kicking me out of the band?!” _

_ “Isn’t it fucking obvious?!” _

Nobody moved. The four bandmates were standing, but they weren’t sure on what anymore. The floor? Moroccon soil? The planet earth? It didn’t matter what you called it, none of them could ever truly be grounded after that altercation. The culmination of decades of abuse and terror and  _ pain  _ slammed into the group harder than any motor accident, any fist, and any insult. It always had to be 2D; it was just a matter of time. He wasn’t a leader, all of them knew that. But nobody else could speak on their behalf and on the sheer volume of Murdoc’s behavior but 2D. So how dramatic, romantic, even, that 2D would deal the final blow? 

When someone finally spoke, it was Russel. The natural mediator, everyone would agree. “We need to go back. It’s getting late. We have a video to shoot next week, and we’re gonna need the rest.” 2D dug his hands into his hair, clutching his scalp worriedly. He resumed his normal, defensive posture almost instantly. “Ah, right. Oi Noodle, still got some of that scar foundation?” Noodle blinked at the question. Something so mundane and innocent after dropping that bomb made her shiver. “I do. But-” “Great!” 2D interrupted. He walked towards Russel and Murdoc, and pat Russel on the shoulder. “Think I can hang off the back of the cart?” Russel looked confused, but hesitantly agreed. Russel waved to Noodle, and she nodded in his direction, albeit perplexed. With that, they drove off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. And then there were two. When Noodle finally dared herself to look at Murdoc, she knew why 2D didn’t take the bike. There was no room for him in Noodle’s cart, and he would probably fall off of Russel’s. He was battered both physically and emotionally. Murdoc always looked old. The combination of drinking, smoking, and every other unhealthy indulgence under the sun aged him wildly forward. But now, he looked ancient. It was like someone deflated him, like he wasn’t fully metaphorically and literally  _ there.  _ And 2D knew that. In that final action, 2D told Murdoc to tread alone. It was up to him to go back or not. Noodle’s shoulder slumped uncomfortably at the revelation. 

He looked up to meet her eyes. 

“Go on love, get. They’ll be worried if you’re here with me too long,” he mumbled. Noodle bit her lip quizzically, almost in awe at his composure. Nonetheless, she obeyed, and managed to start her go-cart. But before she left, Noodle couldn’t help but ask it. She’d grown up with Murdoc. And despite the neglect, despite the misunderstandings, despite the hurt, she truly loved him, the only way a child could love such a parent. So yes, she asked. 

“Are you okay?”

Murdoc had lit a cigarette while she boarded her vehicle. He took a long, feverish drag from it. He didn’t exhale the smoke. He swallowed it. 

“I’m here, Noodle. And no matter what you say, or 2D says, I’ll do whatever it takes to  _ stay _ here.” He looked back to her, face illuminated just slightly by the setting sun. “Do you understand?” There were implications in every word. Noodle was too tired to reply to any of them. She did understand, though. Noodle knew this was their “goodnight, see you tomorrow”. It was their “I’m sorry”, and their “I love you”. But most importantly, in the least complicated way of all, it was the belated confession of a thirst for redemption. Instead of throwing a fit, or a punch, Murdoc stood in the vulnerability and humility of the situation with inspiration, not regression. Those were the implications.

And for the first time since Murdoc’s many promises to get better, Noodle believed every one. 

**Author's Note:**

> i have goo brain sorry tghis is really really bad but i want to practice writing dramatic shit to better the narrative in my comics. comics are nothing w/o a good story after all u__u also this is catmunches on twitter and birdsbreakfast from ig hi pleas never mention this fic to me or ill crumble :) i serious hehe <3333 ^___^


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